Cake caddy

ABSTRACT

In some embodiments a cake caddy is disclosed that is placed over a cake and receives candles that would normally be place in the cake. Thus the cake caddy can prevent damage to the cake that would be caused by placing the candles in the cake. Additionally the cake caddy will prevent wax from light candles from landing on the cake and will protect the cake from bodily fluids and germs from individuals blowing out the candles. Other embodiments are otherwise disclosed herein.

PRIORITY

This application claims the priority under 35 USC §119 of ProvisionalApplication 60/617,176 entitled “Cake Caddy” filed on Oct. 8, 2004 andhaving P. Kevin McLemore as the inventor. Application 60/617,176 isherein incorporated by reference in its entirety but is not prior art.

BACKGROUND

Baked birthday and celebratory cakes come in many shapes, sizes,flavors, and styles. Cakes may have no decorations, simple decorations,or very elaborate decorations. One thing in common with most birthdaycakes is that they usually have birthday candles placed in them. Whilethe candles are lit, a song is normally sung to the individual whosebirthday it is. At the conclusion of the song, the individual normallyblows the candle out. After that the cake is cut into smaller pieces andeaten.

Placing birthday candles in the cake leaves holes in the cake. Thus,nicer pictures of the cake should be taken before the candles are placedin the cake. Moreover, the wax from the candles may melt onto the cakefurther affecting the appearance of the cake. The wax on the cake mayalso affect the taste of the cake. In addition, when the candles areblown out the germs of the individual may be transferred to the cake. Inthe case of birthday parties for children, the child may transfersaliva, mucus, and/or other bodily fluids on the cake as they attempt toblow the candles out. In fact, often at birthday parties multiplechildren assist in blowing the candles out and thus the germs of manychildren end up on the cake.

After the cake is mark up by the candles, has waxed dripped on it, andhas the germs of one or more individuals on it, it is normally served tothe participants at the birthday party. As might be expected, eating acake with the germs of others on it may not appeal to some individuals.Additionally, eating the cake may actually cause certain individuals toget sick.

Thus, there is a need for a device that can protect a cake from thegerms and/or bodily fluids of the one or more individuals blowing thecandles out. The device should not obstruct the view of the cake ordiminish the beauty of the cake in any manner. Moreover, there is a needfor a device that can protect the cake from the dripping wax of thecandles. Furthermore, there is a need for a device to protect the cakefrom the holes that are normally made in the cake by placing thecandle(s) in the cake.

SUMMARY

A device is provided that fits over a cake to protect the cake prior tothe cake being eaten. The device includes a top surface and adjustablelegs. The top surface goes over the cake and the adjustable legs can beused to adjust the height of the device. According to various differentembodiments, the top surface may be made of a clear material so as notto obstruct the view of the cake; the top surface may be curved so as toprovide more clearance in the center of the cake for decorations thatmay be contained thereon; the top surface has holes in it that can holdcandles; the device may have multiple top surfaces so that it can beused for multiple different cake sizes and shapes; the top surface maybe adjustable in size; the top surface may be capable of holdingdecorations; the device is made of a material that is easily cleanableand possibly dishwasher safe; the device may have built in light and/ormusic. The device may fit into a companion storage unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the various embodiments will becomeapparent from the following detailed description in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cake caddy,according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary cake caddy, accordingto one embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of an exemplary cake caddy, according toone embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cake caddy placedover a cake, according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a top surface of an exemplary adjustable size cakecaddy, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate perspective, bottom and side views respectively ofa cake caddy 100. The cake caddy includes legs 110 and top surface 120.The legs may include feet 130 to provide more surface area forsupporting the cake caddy 100. The legs 110 may be adjustable so thatthe cake caddy 100 can be used for cakes of varying height. Asillustrated, the legs 110 are made up of several pieces that can be puttogether to make different heights. For example, each leg may be made upof three one-inch parts so that the legs can range from 1 to 3 inches.The parts may be made up of pieces of varying size so that the legs 110can be a wider variety of heights. For example, if the three leg partswere one inch, two inches and three inches, the legs 110 could rangefrom 1 inch to 6 inches (all three leg parts stacked consecutively).Alternatively, the legs 110 may be formed like a telescope whereadditional layers are maintained within a main body and can be extractedfrom the main body by turning the leg in a certain direction. Thevarious embodiments are in no way intended to be limited to anyparticular type of legs, type of adjustable legs, or number of legs.Rather, as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize, there aremany different types of legs that would fall within the cope of thevarious embodiments of the cake caddy.

The top surface 120 may be made from a lightweight material, such asplastic (e.g., styrene, acrylic, mylar). The top surface 120 should berigid enough to protect the cake below. The top surface 120 may be madeof a clear material so as to not obstruct the view of the cake.Alternatively, the top surface 120 may be made of a tinted or coloredsee-through material. The top surface 120 may be curved to provide moreclearance for the cake and/or decorations that may be on the cake. Thetop surface 120 may include a side panel 140. The side panel 140 may besimply for support or it may provide protection to the side of the cake.

The top surface 120 may have holes 150 formed therein for holdingcandles. The holes 150 may protrude entirely through the top surface 120or partially through. The holes 150 may be sized to hold one size candle(e.g., standard birthday candle) or may have varying sizes to holddifferent candle sizes and/or types (e.g., number candles that tend tohave a larger base, sparklers that tend to have very skinny leg). Withthe candles placed in the holes 150 any wax dripping from the candles iscaptured by the top surface 120 and would not drip on the cake. Asillustrated, there are many holes 150 aligned in circles of varyingsizes. The various embodiments are in no way intended to be limited tothe amount, size, shape, or configuration of the holes. Having multipleholes 150 allows for any number of candles to be placed on the topsurface 120 in various configurations. This allows the cake caddy 100 tobe used for birthday parties for any age, or for any other occasionswhere candles may be desired (e.g., anniversaries, retirement parties).

The legs 110 may connect to the top surface 120 in any manner. Theconnection may be permanent or temporary. If the connection is temporarythe legs 110 may slide, screw, or snap into the top surface 120. The topsurface 120 may have an orifice 160 for accepting the leg 110. Theorifice 160 may be formed in the bottom side of top surface 120, theside wall 140, or extend from the sidewall 140. As illustrated in FIGS.2 and 3, the orifices 160 extend from the sidewall 140.

The embodiments described with respect to FIGS. 1-3 have illustrated thecake caddy 100 as having a round top surface. The various embodimentsare in no manner intended to be limited thereby. Rather, the cake caddycould be any size or shape without departing from the scope. In fact,the cake caddy 100 may come with standard legs and multiple top surfacesthat the legs 110 can be used with so that the cake caddy can supportvarious different size and shape cakes. Standard cakes are often round,rectangular or ½ or whole sheet cakes so that the standard configurationmay come with top surfaces to support at least some subset of thesestandard cakes.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary cake caddy 400covering a cake 410. As illustrated, the cake caddy 400 covers the cake410. Candles 420 are placed in the cake caddy 400 so that the candles420 don't make holes in the cake 410 and do not drip wax on the cake410. As should be understood, if an individual was blowing the candles420 out the cake caddy 400 would provide protection to keep any germs orbodily fluids off the cake 410.

According to one embodiment the top surfaces 120 may be adjustable insize. The adjustment in size may entail adding leaves to the top 120(much like a kitchen or dinning room table is extended). FIG. 5illustrates the top surface of an exemplary adjustable size cake caddy500. As illustrated, the cake caddy 500 is broken into two parts 510,520 that connect together. Also included are leave(s) 530 that may beinserted between the two halves 510, 520 to extend the size of the cakecaddy 500. As one skilled in the art would know there are multiple meansfor connecting the halves 510, 520 and the leaves 530 that would bewithin the scope of the various embodiments described herein, such assliding, screwing, or snapping. According to one embodiment, multipleleaves of varying size may be provided to offer the most options forextending the cake caddy 500. For example, if 1, 2 and 3 inch leaves areprovided that would enable the cake caddy to be extended between 1-6inches by utilizing various combinations of leaves.

According to one embodiment, the top surface is configured to supportdecorations in addition to candles. The top surface may have additionalholes provided therein to hold the decorations or may be made of anon-slip or sticky material so that the decorations can be placed on thetop surface and will not fall off.

According to one embodiment, the cake caddy is provided with lightingthat can be used to illuminate the cake or add to the decorations. Thepower for the lighting may be provided by a battery contained within thecake caddy or by a cord that is connected to the cake caddy and can beplugged into a power source. The lighting may be such that a portion ofthe entire top surface lights up, or it may be such that individuallights (same or different colored) light up on different portions of thecaddy. The cake caddy may be configured in such a manner that a user canselect what light or lights are used for each occasion.

According to one embodiment, the cake caddy may have power so thatdevices plugged therein can operate in some fashion. For example, powermay be provided to certain holes on the top surface so that devices plugtherein may operate. For example, candlelights may be placed in theappropriate holes on the cake to give the appearance of lit candles. Asone skilled in the art would recognize, more complex decorationsutilizing the power provided by the cake caddy would be within thescope. For example, a miniature racetrack or moving figurines could beplaced on the appropriate place on the cake caddy.

According to one embodiment, the cake caddy may include a musical devicethat is capable of playing certain songs (e.g., Happy Birthday). Thecake caddy can be powered by a battery located somewhere on the cakecaddy or by a plug that connects to a power source.

According to one embodiment, the cake caddy is made of a material thatis easy to clean and dishwasher safe.

The many features and advantages of the various embodiments are apparentfrom the detailed specification. Thus, the appended claims are intendedto cover all such features and advantages of the various embodimentsthat fall within the true spirit and scope of the various embodiments.Furthermore, since numerous modifications and variations will readilyoccur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit thevarious embodiments to the exact construction and operation illustratedand described. Accordingly, all appropriate modifications andequivalents may be included within the scope of the various embodiments.

Although the various embodiments have been illustrated by reference tospecific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made which clearly fallwithin the scope. The embodiments intend to broadly protect within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A device for protecting a cake, comprising: a top surface to cover acake, the top surface made of a material that does not obstruct view ofthe cake; and legs that connect to the top surface to raise the topsurface above the cake.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the topsurface has holes formed therein for supporting candles.
 3. The deviceof claim 2, wherein the top surface is capable of preventing wax fromdripping on the cake.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the top surfacecatches prevents germs or bodily fluids from one blowing out the candlesto land on the cake.
 5. The device of claim 1, wherein the legs areadjustable in size.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the top surface iscurved to provide additional clearance for the cake.
 7. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the top surface includes lighting.
 8. The device ofclaim 1, further comprising a power source.
 9. A device for protecting acake, comprising: a surface capable of being placed over a cake, whereinthe surface does not obstruct view of the cake, and wherein the surfacehas holes formed therein that are capable of accepting candles or otherdecorations; and legs, connectable to the surface, to hold the surfaceabove the cake.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the legs areadjustable in size.
 11. The device of claim 10, wherein the leg sizeadjustment is performed by telescopic action.
 12. The device of claim10, wherein the legs include several pieces that can be connectedinterchangeably to adjust the height.
 13. The device of claim 9, whereinthe surface is colored or tinted.
 14. The device of claim 9, wherein thesurface includes separate pieces that can be connected interchangeablyfor size adjustment.
 15. The device of claim 9, wherein the surface isnon-slip.
 16. The device of claim 9, further comprising a musicaldevice.
 17. The device of claim 9, wherein the surface is curved toprovide additional clearance for the cake.
 18. The device of claim 9,wherein the surface includes lighting.
 19. The device of claim 9,further comprising a power source.
 20. A device, capable of being placedover a cake and accepting candles, to protect a cake from wax drippingfrom the candles or germs or bodily fluids from individuals blowing outcandles, the device comprising: a top surface having holes formedtherein for receiving candles, wherein the top surface is opaque; legs,connectable to the top surface, to support the top surface, wherein thelegs are used to hold the top surface above the cake so that the topsurface is capable of protecting the cake.